What Was Hidden Chapter 5
by Dee-lusions
Summary: Sakujun may have one too many toys to play with, but then that makes things less boring, don't you think?


Title: What Was Hidden Chapt 5  
Genre: Romance/None  
Rating: Fiction Rated: T  
Summary: A story of what might have happen during that journey between Sakujun and Shuurei. This is my 1st fanfict ever and 1st of Yura Kairi's Saiunkoku Monogatari.  
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Chapter 5

Rough hands thrust her into a room, forcing Shuurei to catch herself on the edge of a table. She bit back a groan of pain she felt her wound reopen.

"Wait here." The two doors were slammed shut and locked.

Shuurei sat on the floor and examined her ankle. Blood soaked through the bandage and started dripping on the floor. Grabbing the edge of her sleeve, Shuurei tore several long strips and wrapped her ankle as tightly as she could, hoping it would staunch the bleeding.

The door opened and a bevy of women entered. One dropped her bundle and erhu carelessly in a trunk and locked it. The others carried food, towels, and water.

Suddenly Shurrei found herself surrounded by the women. Hands were everywhere, trying to remove clothing, comb her hair, and bathe her.

"Stop! There's no need for this, I can attend myself." She batted at the hands and managed to keep her clothes as she placed a table between herself and the women.

_I need to calm down and think of a way out of this mess. _A renewed attack from the women broke her concentration. This time, Shuurei scrambled away and picked up one of the bowls of water, dumping it on the women closest to her. "I said stop." All movement stopped. Several of the women looked hurt and Shuurei felt a twinge of guilt. If it were Kochouneesan helping her, she wouldn't have panicked like this. "Ah… I'm sorry, but please, I really can do this myself."

A sharp clap had the women retreating from the room. A towel landed at Shuurei's feet. "If you don't mind, please clean up the mess you made."

Shuurei jumped. Tomio sprawled on his bed, his robe draped elegantly over him studying her with the eyes of a courtesan. _Something doesn't quite fit here. If he wanted me dead, he should have killed me back at the inn. _She shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs of the drug still clouding it. _What in the world was in that drink? I can't think enough to get myself out of this mess. _

"You don't seem to be shocked by your surroundings, Kourin. I'm not surprised. Although you look innocent, Senyasama wouldn't choose a child over a woman to entertain him."

_Senya, that demon! If I run into him again, I'll kill him._ She set the bowl on the floor upright and began mopping up the water.

"Before I answer your question, I want an honest answer. The men who were protecting me, are they…" Shuurei swallowed hard. Death was a hard subject for her. She'd seen enough of it when she was a child, but it didn't make it any easier to see. She threw the towel into the bowl and tucked her hands into her sleeves where she clenched them into tight fists.

"I don't know. Although, it seemed to me that they were more another set of captors rather than protectors. Anyway, you should be more worried about your situation instead of another's." Tomio sighed and waved his hand at the food and then a shelf containing many tea sets. "Please choose which tea set you would like to drink from. We might as well eat as we talk. I feel that we'll be here for a while."

Shuurei unclenched her hands, easing her nails from where they'd embedded themselves into her palms. The pain helped clear her mind. She looked around the small room. Beautiful paintings and furniture made the room warm and inviting, and told much about the man in front of her.

"Actually, your… teahouse is quite nice." Shuurei looked straight into Tomio's black eyes.

"I used to work for some unique friends, so a place like this isn't very threatening. Also, a room decorated by such a gentle person won't scare me."

"Oh?" Tomio's drawn-out response held a multitude of questions.

Shuurei ignored them and slowly walked over to the shelf, careful to mask the limp that would give away her wound. All of the sets were beautiful, but one set caught her eye. It lacked a cup, was noticeably older than most of the others, but something about it fit the man perfectly.

"I'd like to use this set, if you don't mind."

"Why would you choose from a set obviously incomplete when there are other, more beautiful ones to partake from?" Tomio murmured.

Shuurei looked at his mask-like face, so much like one of Senior Secretary Kou's masks, hiding away everything from the world. "It's because, this tea set is very much like you, Tomiosan. A man who still keeps the rest of his world together yet it's incomplete because a piece of his heart is missing." She caught a glimpse of startled surprise, pain, and a small thaw in the icy dislike he held for her before the mask slid back in place.

"If it's what you desire." He rose from the bed and retrieved the set.

As Tomio prepared the tea, Shuurei watched his careful movements. Tomio was beautiful to watch as he worked. "So, what is it that you want to speak with me about that would have you attacking people guarding me?"

Tomio startled then smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "Straight to the point aren't you? I like that. I had planned on forcing you to work in my house and making you serve Senyasama, but my plans have changed somewhat." He set the tea set on the table and turned to face her holding a small white packet between two fingers. A smile curved his lips, but his eyes held a look that cut through Shuurei's composure.

For the first time since she'd entered the room, Shuurei felt threatened. Swallowing hard, she moved slightly back, but stopped when Tomio's eyes narrowed. "First, I want you to take this for the pain that's making your cheeks such a becoming red. Then you will give me your foot. I will treat it so that you don't continue to bleed on my floor."

"Sorry, I don't need any more drugs." Shuurei said as she jumped to her feet and took a step toward the windows, then shied toward the doors, but Tomio was always in front of her.

Matching her movements with the grace of a dancer, he closed the distance before she could even think to cry out. Strong hands grabbed her, tossed her onto the bed, and had her pinned in the space of a moment.

"I must insist. You see, Senyasama would never forgive me if something happened to you while under my care, Kourin." He leaned closer, holding the open packet against her lips. "Now take the medicine like a good girl, or I will administer it in a much more exciting way."

"Follow me and bring the box." Tomio walked to the door, which opened immediately.

Sakujun grabbed the box, tucked it into his sleeve and followed Tomio while wondering exactly how private his meetings were in the teahouse. They walked deep into the back of the building. Sakujun, who'd lived there off and on for years, knew most of the house, but the area Tomio led them through was unfamiliar to him.

With a small laugh, Tomio turned to talk to him as they walked. "This is my new personal wing. It parallels what once was my personal wing. That has turned into the common rooms, which is why the rooms you use are now the private rooms and are so quiet. Also, the gardens give the private rooms and my wing space away from the common rooms so they cannot disturb us."

_He's like a proud housewife._ Sakujun thought, although he was impressed. Tomio's business sense and taste gave him a sharp edge for the entertainment life. However, at the moment, he was more impressed at the way the courtesan continued to walk backward gracefully through the halls weaving around things he couldn't possibly see as he talked.

As they reached the end of the hall, two guards unbarred a door and opened it. Tomio stepped inside first and slid to the side to allow Sakujun to enter.

Shuurei lay on the bed, her foot elevated and bound in clean bandages. A servant sat beside her, bathing her face, neck, and arms. Around her wrists and waist tied her to the bed.

_I like the image. Maybe I'll forgive Tomio if his excuse is good enough. She doesn't seem harmed. In fact, it seems as if he's taken care of her better than my men did._ Sakujun glanced at Tomio who leaned against the wall staring at Shuurei with his arms crossed at his waist, tapping his fan unconsciously against his hip and smiled at the man's unconscious show of jealousy. _He definitely thinks of her as a competitor for my affections. Well, he may have gone to scare her off, but ended up saving her against his will._

Sakujun had to swallow back a laugh at the thought. Tomio wasn't a gracious loser. Shuurei probably didn't enjoy his method of treatment for her foot. Knowing Tomio, the sadist that he was, he would have drawn out as much fun, without hurting her, as he could in the process. _Poor kitten, you have entered a world you've never dreamed of even in your worst nightmares. Now that you've tasted Tomio's game, I wonder how you will deal with my games._

They left the room, Tomio's guards relocking the doors behind them.

"She's quite the feisty cat."

Tomio's quiet comment made Sakujun laugh as they sat in the courtesan's bedroom. When the man looked at him in askance, he just raised his hand in defeat and shook his head as he continued to chuckle. It would take too much effort to explain.

"I did go to see what about Kourin enthralls you enough to take care of her, even to the extent of getting into the merchants guild." Tomio didn't wait for Sakujun to start questioning him. "When I got to the inn, your men had been attacked. Li was the only one still alive. He handed me the box and told me to give it to you. I am assuming there is more in it than the knife, but I didn't open it."

Sakujun opened the box and pulled out the silk. Instead of it being a bed of silk for the knife to be cradled in, it was a piece of someone's robe carrying a mark. Under the silk, the wood held the words Sa clan dissenters written in blood. Sakujun tightened his grip on the box as fury filled him.

To oppose the clan was one thing. To oppose him personally was suicide. All in the clan knew his particular cruelty. None could match him.

_I'll repay the favor, whoever you are. Thank you for making the next couple of days interesting while my kitten is healing from your attack and for giving me a target to take my anger out on. _ Sakujun shivered in anticipation. It was a good day for hunting.


End file.
